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Geographically, the parish is hilly (about 500-600 meters) in its south and east, and comprises three roughly parallel burns/glens which run from the mountains westward and slightly northward feeding into the River Dee: the Burn of Birse, the Burn of Cattie, and the Water of Feugh, with the villages of Birse, Ballogie and Finzean respectively in the lower parts of the glens. The very sparsely populated area atop the glens is called the Forest of Birse. Population Growth
Populations 1801-1951 from A Vision of Britain through Time (http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk).
[edit] Birse Parish KirkEarliest records of a kirk in Birse date from 1157, when it was mentioned in a charter of the Bishop of Aberdeen, and was the seat of the Chancellor of the Diocese. A relic from that time, called the Crusader Stone, was rediscovered when the foundation for the present structure was being laid in 1779, and it can be seen today in the vestry. Earlier kirks stood a bit to the south of the present structure. The most recent prior structure was a stone building with a thatched roof erected in 1603. The present kirk structure, erected in 1779, is a coursed granite structure in a plain rectangular plan, with a slate roof, its primary adornment being a small ball-capped bellcote on the west gable over the entrance. It seats 550. When the church was in use in the 18th and 19th centuries, the pews were arranged lengthwise on the rectangular plan, with the pulpit being in the middle of the long wall. There was a gallery for the Farquharson family, who were the prominent landowners in the parish. (Visitors to the kirk today will find the pews rearranged perpendicular to the length of the building, as is the modern convention.) The kirkyard contains over three hundred gravestones, mostly upright, with about two dozen or more recumbent stones, and one prominent enclosure for the Farquharson family. The majority of the stones date from the 19th century, though there are a few from the late 18th century. It is thought that the present graveyard is built on top of an older one, so many who were buried here prior to the 19th century lay unmarked or covered over by newer graves. The kirkyard is thoroughly documented in a booklet called The Kirkyard of Birse, compiled by Sheila M Spiers, put out by the Aberdeen and North East Scotland Family History Society (publication #AA104). The Society also provides an online index of names with dates (though you must get the booklet to find the complete inscriptions). In 1863, a kirk was built at Finzean, which was a more populous part of the parish (and closer to the Farquharson seat at Finzean House). In 1902, Finzean became a separate quoad sacra parish, but Birse and Finzean were reunited in 1987 (together with Strachan), with Finzean being the parish kirk. Birse Kirk is no longer used as a church, but was recently purchased by the Birse Community Trust for preservation and use as a community and for-hire meeting hall. Visits may be arranged through the trust. [edit] Farquharson of Finzean EstateThe Finzean Estate, today nearly 8,000 acres in the parish of Birse, has been held in a branch of the Farquharson clan since 1609, when the bishops of Aberdeen granted a charter to Robert Farquharson, 1st laird of Finzean. (Finzean was previously held by Sir Alexander Gordon of Cluny, and by Sir Robert Carnegie before him.) Subsequent lairds acquired additional properties, expanding the estate, of which Finzean has continued to be the seat. In 1708, Queen Anne granted a Charter of Barony to Robert Farquharson, the 4th of Finzean, comprising Finzean, Tillygarmond, Balnaboth, Balfidy, Percie, Dalsack, the Mill of Clinter, and Woodend. [edit] Finzean HouseFinzean House has been the home of the Farquharsons of Finzean probably from the first laird. The present house was largely rebuilt in 2002, having been nearly destroyed by fire in 1954, but it was reconstructed to match the size and form of the house as it was known to have existed from the Victorian era. The present house retains a portion of a wall with a stone bearing the date 1686, when the house was rebuilt by the 3rd laird of Finzean. (The original house was most likely destroyed in 1644, when most of the parish was laid waste by the Earl of Argyll in retaliation for Royalist support.) In the mid to late 18th century, the 5th laird increased the size of the house, adding a south frontage, and also started a formal garden (the holly hedge of which still stands today). In the 1830s-40s, the house suffered from the neglect of the spendthrift 8th laird followed by the absentee 9th laird, before it was energetically restored in the 1850s-60s by the 10th laird, who also built the church and did much to revitalize the community life of Finzean. [edit] Finzean KirkAlthough the parish kirk was historically at Birse, a church was built at Finzean in 1863 which gained in prominence and became a quoad sacra parish in 1902. In 1987 it was made the parish church for a reunited Birse and Finzean parish, encompassing Strachan and other historic parishes into what is today called the Birse and Feughside Parish Church.
[edit] Tillyfruskie
[edit] WoodendWoodend is an inhabited place in the Deeside parish of Birse. It is found along the Water of Feugh, about 3km east and south from Finzean, heading up the glen toward the Forest of Birse. It is just down from the bucket mill. It is part of the Finzean Estate, having been held by the Farquharsons of Finzean since 1708, when it was included in a Charter of Barony granted by Queen Anne to Robert Farquharson, the 4th laird of Finzean.1 Historically, it has been a tenant farm of the estate. [NOTE: Many parishes throughout Aberdeenshire have settlements named Woodend.]
[edit] Research TipsThere was formerly a note on this page that the parish was linked to the Presbytery of Kincardine O'Neil, Synod of Aberdeen, Scotland. It would appear that since 1975 the organization of the presbyteries and synods has been revised. Readers are reminded that the Church of Scotland is Presbyterian in nature while in England the Church of England is Episcopalian. (See Wikipedia. ) [edit] General Aberdeenshire References
This site is extremely easy to use. There are charges for parish register entries and censuses. The charges are reasonable and payable by online transfer.
[edit] Local Birse References
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